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Timeline
This is a timeline of Wargame: European Escalation, its Fatal Error, and its sequel, Wargame: AirLand Battle in chronological order. Fatal Error European Escalation *1975 - In his successful escape to the West, National People’s Army's soldier Werner Weinhold leaves two dead East German border guards in his wake, gunned down while they tried to stop him from defecting. This event aroused tension along the Iron Curtain while East German authorities vainly asked for the double murderer to be handed back to them... *1981 - Fearing the rising popularity of free union Solidarnosc (a.k.a Solidarity), Polish head of state General Wojciech Jaruzelski orders Martial law in Poland. When miners from the Wujek mines in Katowice answer the declaration of Martial Law with a strike, paramilitary militias and army units are sent to break the strike by force. *November 1983 - NATO organizes a multinational military exercise called "ABLE ARCHER 83". The timing couldn't have been worse; after a year of rising tensions between the USA & USSR, the Soviet leaders believe "ABLE ARCHER" to be a smokescreen for an actual NATO attack on the Warsaw Pact. *1984 - In the following days of a nuclear war that has wiped out most European cities, the survivors from both sides are only obsessed with survival ... and vengeance. AirLand Battle *January 20, 1981 - Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President of the United States of America. Rejecting his predecessor's Detente policy, he seeks confrontation with the USSR. *From 1982 to 1985 - During Reagan's presidency, NATO's military maneuvers multiply, in order to maintain pressure on the USSR. *January 20, 1985 - Ronald Reagan's re-election convinces Soviet leaders that no improvement can be expected on the international scene. *March 10, 1985 - Konstantin Chernenko dies. The Politburo selects Mikhail Gorbatchev as his successor, but a coup from the Party's Old Guard cancels their decision. The new Politburo is dominated by the Party's hard liners who promise a tougher Soviet position on ‘American means of intimidation'. *September 2, 1985 - As US Navy aircraft undertake a PSYOPS maneuver off the coast of Karelia, Soviet fighters force them away and chase them all the way to international waters. A flurry of airborne intimidation ensues, until one pilot opens fire. The short but fierce combat causes the death of several pilots on both sides. *September 2 to 10, 1985 - As Americans and Soviets blame each other, NATO and the Warsaw Pact mobilize their respective troops. Strategists from the Pact are faced with a dilemma: wait until their vast reserves are mobilized to attack or launch an offensive with limited forces but without delay, leaving the Americans no time to transport most of their reinforcements to Europe. *September 10, 1985 - The latter option is chosen. On September 10, from Bayreuth to Vadsø, forces of the Warsaw Pact attack. In Norway, the Soviet offensive results in several Norwegian infantry squads being trapped between tanks and an amphibious landing in Narvik. *September 10 to 15, 1985 - The North Brigade, Norway's main mechanized force, manages to escape and slow down the enemy around Trondheim. Military failures rapidly start to pile up for Soviet troops in Norway... *September 16, 1985 - The first NATO reinforcements arrive in Scandinavia, while the long Soviet MSR is the target of Norwegian supporters. But more importantly, it is the mobilization order to Swedish troops - theoretically neutral but generally affiliated with NATO - which represents the greatest threat to the Pact. *September 17, 1985 - The Pact opts for the ‘preventive neutralization' of Sweden and opens a second front line that will enable them to resume their Eastern offensive against Norway. In this new plan, they make use of their Polish and East German allies... Red Dragon *1991 Category:Storyline